1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for safely storing used surgical needles, and, in particular, to a multicompartment discard container, wherein each used surgical needle is placed in a separate compartment within the container, thereby permitting the used needles to be easily counted while being safely contained and discarded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surgical needles, which are used to insert a suture during surgery, represent a serious danger to a patient if not removed from the surgical cite. For example, if a needle is left in the patient, it may perforate vital organs, cause infection, and even result in death. Therefore, it is imperative that all surgical needles are counted at the beginning of a surgical procedure and at the end of the procedure.
Typically, the used needles are recounted several times to ensure that each needle is accounted for, i.e., that none of the needles are left in the patient. Because the used needles are repeatedly counted, the used needles should be stored in a device that permits recounting.
A used surgical needle also represents a danger to the medical personnel responsible for handling the needles. If a used needle perforates the attendant's skin, that needle could transmit some infectious diseases from the patient to the attendant by blood-to-blood contact. Avoiding this problem requires storing the used needles in a device that minimizes the chances of the used needle contacting an individual. This is made difficult by the fact that used surgical needles should remain visible so that an accurate count of the needles can be made repeatedly.
One conventional needle counting device that attempts to achieve these objectives consists of a flat, bar-shaped magnetic pad having a plurality of sections identified thereon. After each needle is used, the surgical assistant places the used needle on top of the successively numbered portions of the magnetic pad so that an accurate count of the used needles can be made at the end of the surgical procedure. This conventional counting device, however, does not adequately prevent individuals from being exposed to the used needles because the needles remain unshielded when placed on the surface of the magnetic pad. The ends of many needles extend beyond the magnetic pad. The risk of exposure to the used needles is especially great when the needles are ultimately disposed of.
In addition, because the used needles typically include a portion of a suture attached thereto, the collection of needles and sutures on an open pad can make this needle discarding system cumbersome, and the indicia on the magnetic pad may be obscured thereby preventing the number of used needles stored thereon from being quickly counted. In addition, the sutures attached to the needles placed on the magnetic pad can get snagged, pulled, etc., thereby displacing the used needles from their proper position on the magnetic pad. To avoid these problems, a separate cutting device, such as a pair of scissors, must be available for cutting the excessive lengths of suture from the used needles so that the used needles can be effectively stored on the magnetic pad.
Another conventional discard device consists of a box with a sponge or solid foam material provided at the bottom thereof. A plurality of sections are identified on the sponge material so that the tip of the used needles can be inserted into successive sections of the sponge. This configuration permits an accurate count to be made of the used needles. However, because all the used needles are inserted into a sponge that is contained within the same box, this discard device also does not adequately prevent the surgical assistant from being exposed to injury from the used needles because the box is not closed until the end of the operative procedure.
Furthermore, the lengths of suture attached to the used needles can make accurately inserting the used needles into their proper location even more difficult and dangerous, especially in an operating room environment where situations may arise that require surgical assistants to perform such tasks quite rapidly. In addition, the suture attached to the needles can be inadvertently pulled causing the needles to be pulled out of the sponge or can interfere with the closing of the box. To cut the suture, a pair of scissors is used.
In an invasive surgical procedure, a substantial amount of blood is present on the surgeons' and nurses' glove covered hands. Anything that these personnel handle is covered with blood. Some procedures become stressful when unforeseen circumstances arise. Small objects like needles can easily become lost in the profuse field of blood. So a device like a needle container should be easy to handle yet safe, easy to operate yet provide a ready visual verification of the number of needles contained therein.